When filling containers (e.g., cylinders, tank trucks, rail cars, and stationary tanks) with cryogenic fluids, either compressed or non-compressed, in either gas or liquid form, or operating equipment that relies on pressurized fluid flow, the fluid is transferred from one container (e.g., a tank truck) to another container (e.g., a stationary tank). The fluid can be transferred from one container to another via solid piping or by a flexible conduit or hose. A flexible hose allows ease of connection/disconnection between the containers, as well as a limited range of motion between the source of the fluid and the destination of the fluid.
For example, cryogenic fluids are transported, stored, and used in individual containers of varying size and capacity. In order to fill these containers with a cryogenic fluid, each container is connected, either singly or in groups, to a fluid filler/seller. In order to connect each container to the filling connection, a flexible hose is used to allow for quick connection/disconnection of the containers to and from the filling connection. A filling station manifold is one example of a filling connection.
There are various safety risks associated with transferring fluids from one container to another. Components in fluid delivery systems might fail or service personnel conducting fluid delivery operations might make human errors, such as driving a tank truck away after filling a container without disconnecting the hose from the tank truck and/or the filled container.
Hoses can fail even though they are generally made from durable, yet flexible, materials/constructions, such as treated and reinforced rubber, neoprene, nylon, stainless steel, and others. Hose failures, such as leaks, ruptures, splits, and cuts, can result, for example, from material deterioration of the hose or accidentally damaging the hose by operation of other equipment in the vicinity.
When a hose fails, regardless of the cause of the failure, substantial damage can result in a number of ways. First, if a hose is completely severed or split, both ends of the hose can whip around wildly under the forces of the compressed fluid that is exerted from the delivery end and the receiving end. In addition, if a container is not secured, the pressure of the fluid leaving the container can cause the container to move very rapidly in the opposite direction of the escaping fluid. Both of these situations can result in substantial risk of personal injury, as well as property damage. Furthermore, a hose failure can cause leaks from both the delivery and receiving ends, leading to a costly waste of the fluid, as well as the discharge of a hazardous fluid, that has the potential of filling the environment with hazardous fumes.